A top member of Donald Trump‘s Cabinet has threatened to abandon US efforts in securing a Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress “within a matter of days”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US may be ready to “move on” if a Russia-Ukraine peace deal cannot be agreed soon after discussions with counterparts in France. It comes after months of negotiations between the US, Russia, Ukraine and Europe – and after Mr Trump previously claimed he could end the war in “24 hours”.
Speaking in Paris after a marathon day of landmark talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials, Mr Rubio said the discussions had been constructive and produced an outline for steps toward peace. French officials said a new meeting in the same format is expected in London in the coming days, which Mr Rubio said he could join.
On his departure from Paris, Mr Rubio told reporters: “We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this [peace deal] is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on. We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end.”
Thursday’s talks in Paris were the first high-level discussions between British, French and White House officials since Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron separately visited Washington in February.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy attended the Paris talks for the UK, while delegations from Germany and Ukraine included the country’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiga and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak. Mr Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were present on behalf of the US.
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Speaking last night, Mr Lammy said: “In a volatile world, unity is our strength. Today’s meetings with France, the US, Ukraine, and Germany underscore our shared commitment to global security. We must see a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and stability in the Middle East.”
He added: “We are working hard with allies to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine. Russia must agree to an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as Ukraine has done.”
Talks about a possible peace have faltered since Moscow rejected a ceasefire proposal that had been agreed by the US and Ukraine last month. Meanwhile, the UK and France have been seeking to assemble a coalition of nations that would be willing to defend a truce if one is reached.
The city of Dnipro saw a further drone strike overnight, Mr Zelensky had said earlier on Thursday. In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said that three people were killed and 28 injured by a strike, including four children.
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